Absentee Voting - Civilians

The Gwinnett County Voter Registration and Elections Office is located at 455 Grayson Highway, Suite 200, in Lawrenceville.

No. Currently Gwinnett County does not conduct city elections. Contact the city hall regarding absentee voting for the city.

Once received, the absentee ballot should be voted per the instructions and returned in one of two ways:

• United States Post Office mail to: Gwinnett County Voter Registration and Elections, 75 Langley Drive, Lawrenceville, GA 30046
• Personally delivered, meaning the voter to whom the ballot was mailed and who voted the ballot may deliver the ballot to the Gwinnett County Voter Registration and Elections Division located at 455 Grayson Highway, Suite 200, Lawrenceville, GA 30046

For a voter who is disabled, an adult relative or an adult individual residing in the household of the disabled elector may return the ballot to the Elections Office located at 455 Grayson Highway, Suite 200 in Lawrenceville. At no time may voted ballots be personally delivered to the Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center located at 75 Langley Drive, in Lawrenceville.

All absentee ballots are counted on Election Day at the Gwinnett County Voter Registration and Elections Office. If for some reason your ballot is not counted, you will be notified by first class mail.

• Required information is missing
• Signature (or mark) of voter is missing or does not match registration records 
• Oath of Voter is missing or incomplete
• Ballot received after 7:00pm on Election Day
• For first-time voters who registered to vote by mail and have not previously provided ID, and do not provide a copy of identification by 5:00pm on the Friday following Election Day

Georgia law requires that the voter must make a mark if he or she cannot sign because he or she is acknowledging an oath. If the disabled voter has not acknowledged the oath with his or her mark or signature, the ballot is rejected. In addition, this security feature ensures that the voter has either read or had the oath read to him or her, by the person assisting him or her. Disabled or elderly voters may be asked to update their registration record to ensure the latest signature is on file.
A Power of Attorney is not valid for the purpose of voting.

Upon satisfactory proof of relationship, an adult relative of a disabled voter residing inside the county may make application for absentee ballot for the disabled voter. The disabled box on the application must be checked, and the relative making application must sign the application appropriately. A friend may not apply for an absentee ballot for a disabled friend.

A friend may not apply for an absentee ballot on behalf of a disabled friend. However, he or she may assist in completing and returning the application.

Upon satisfactory proof of relationship, an adult relative of a person who is residing temporarily outside Gwinnett County may apply for an absentee ballot on behalf of the voter. However, the oath must be completed listing the relationship to the voter and verifying that the application is for a relative that is residing temporarily out of the County.

A friend may not apply for an absentee ballot for another friend.

Upon satisfactory proof of relationship, an adult relative may complete an application for a voter who is temporarily residing outside of Gwinnett County. However, the oath must be completed and signed by the relative. The college student could also download the application from www.gwinnettcounty.com, or the Elections Office can fax, mail, or e-mail an application to the college student. The completed application can be returned by mail, e-mail, or fax.

No. Ballots must be mailed or voted in office. However, if a voter is unexpectedly admitted to the hospital within the five-day period before the election, then a relative may come to the Absentee Office, complete paperwork, and be deputized to deliver and return the ballot for tabulation.

A spouse may turn in a ballot for his or her spouse only if the ballot belongs to a disabled voter.

If the absentee application is completed by the voter, then yes, a spouse may turn in an application for a spouse who is at work.

A voted ballot cannot be turned in for a spouse unless that spouse is disabled.

No. A relative cannot complete an application for a voter unless the voter is temporarily residing outside of Gwinnett County or is a disabled voter.

Upon satisfactory proof of relationship, an adult relative of a disabled voter may complete an application for the disabled voter. The relative completing the application must complete and sign the application, listing the relationship to the voter.

A disabled voter's adult relative or an adult individual living in the same household of the disabled elector may bring in a disabled voter's ballot to the Elections Office at 455 Grayson Highway, Suite 200 in Lawrenceville.

Voters who are confined to a hospital unexpectedly may vote by absentee ballot one of two ways:

• The voter may have an adult relative come to the Elections Office and be deputized so that he or she can deliver the ballot to the voter at the hospital and return the voted ballot to the Elections Office
• The voter may also submit an application by mail, e-mail, or fax using the reason "Disabled" to request the ballot be mailed to the hospital if time permits; the Elections Office cannot guarantee the mail delivery and return of any ballot by mail. The voted ballot of a disabled voter may be returned by an adult relative or an adult individual who is residing in the same household as the voter. This is the only time a voted ballot may be returned by someone other than the voter. All voted ballots must be received by the Elections Office no later than 7:00pm on Election Day 

The last day for the Elections Office to receive absentee applications is the Friday before the election. The last day ballots are mailed is also the Friday before the election. All applications will be processed in the order received. There is usually a two-day turnaround time for processing. The Elections Office needs to receive the application by the Wednesday before Election Day in order for the voter to have sufficient time to receive, vote, and return the ballot.

The Elections Office does not recommend trying to vote by mail the week prior to the election. Ballots cannot be guaranteed for delivery once processed. Any ballot received in the Absentee Office after 7:00pm on Election Day will not be counted, regardless of when the ballot was mailed or postmarked. (Except military and overseas voters who qualify under the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Voting Act, who may have ballots received through the Friday after the election.)
Voters may return their own voted ballots to the Elections Office by 7:00pm on election night for tabulation. Ballots may not be accepted at polling locations or satellite advance locations for tabulation.

Obtain a Federal Post Card Application (FPCA). An FPCA form is provided by federal law to permit members of the U.S. Armed Forces, Merchant Marines, and their dependents to vote early by mail, and if necessary, to register to vote. FPCAs may be obtained by eligible voters from voting assistance officers within their branch of service, from a U.S. consulate or embassy, or from the Federal Voting Assistance Program of the Department of Defense, Washington, D.C. 20301, 1.800.438.VOTE (8683), or downloaded from fvap.gov.

Civilians who are overseas may obtain a Federal Post Card Application (FPCA). An FPCA form is provided by federal law to permit U.S. citizens who are permanently or temporarily residing in a country outside the United States to vote early by mail, and if necessary, to register to vote. FPCAs may be obtained by eligible voters from voting assistance officers within their branch of service, from a U.S. consulate or embassy, or from the Federal Voting Assistance Program of the Department of Defense, Washington, D.C.20301, 1.800.438.VOTE (8683), or downloaded from fvap.gov.

• Unless the voter is disabled, a ballot cannot be mailed to a different address inside Gwinnett County unless it is listed on the registration record. Therefore, if the voter has a new Gwinnett County address not listed on the registration record, a ballot cannot be mailed to the voter's new address
• If the voter moved outside Gwinnett County but within the state of Georgia before the registration cut-off, and does not register to vote in the new county, the voter is not eligible to vote
• If the voter moved within Gwinnett County before the registration cut-off, and a change of address is completed before the deadline, a voter may vote using the new address
• It is not legal to make a change of address until the voter has actually moved

Yes. An application can be electronically sent to a military or overseas citizen. The voter may also fax or e-mail a request for an absentee ballot and list the following:

• WHICH ELECTION
• IF PRIMARY, LIST PARTY
• REASON (must be one of the reasons listed on the regular absentee ballot application, if applicable)
• NAME AND ADDRESS AS REGISTERED
• DATE OF BIRTH
• ADDRESS TO SEND BALLOT TO
• SIGNATURE OF VOTER

If the voter pays the shipping charges, the absentee office will express mail the voter’s ballot if there is enough time to do so before any deadlines. The voter may bring or send a prepaid express mail (or overnight mail envelope) to the absentee office, or provide the account number to bill the charges to. Paying for expedited mail does not expedite the regular processing of the voter's application. The application will be processed in the same manner as all other applications received at the same time.

If the ballot has not been received by the voter in a reasonable amount of time, the voter can sign a form stating that the original ballot was not received and request another ballot to be sent. The form can be mailed or faxed. If the voter comes into the office no later than the Friday before Election Day to sign the form, the voter can vote in the office immediately.

The last day to vote in office is the Friday before an election. There is no voting in the Elections Office on the Monday before the election or on Election Day.

If the voter lost the ballot, he or she can sign a form stating that the original ballot was lost and request another ballot to be sent. The form can be mailed or faxed. If the voter comes into the office no later than the Friday before Election Day to sign the form, he or she can vote in the office immediately.

The last day to vote in office is the Friday before an election. There is no voting in the Elections Office on the Monday before the election or on Election Day.

The voter must return the spoiled ballot to the Absentee Office before a replacement can be provided.

• If the ballot is mailed back to the Absentee Office, both the yellow oath envelope and the ballot must be clearly marked "Void"
• If the ballot is voided, mailed back to the Absentee Office, and indication is made that the voter wants another ballot mailed, a ballot will be mailed
• If the voter brings the ballot into the Absentee Office before Election Day, another ballot will be issued and the voter will vote immediately in the office

The voter may turn the voided ballot into the voting poll on Election Day, and vote at the poll. The last day to vote in office is the Friday before an election. There is no voting in the Elections Office on the Monday before the election or on Election Day.

• If the ballot has not been mailed back, the voter may take the absentee ballot to his or her voting poll on Election Day, turn the ballot in to the poll manager, and vote in person at the poll
• If the ballot has been mailed and the ballot has not been received at the Absentee Voting Office,  the voter may come to the Absentee Office at 455 Grayson Highway, Suite 200  in Lawrenceville, sign an absentee ballot cancellation form, and receive an affidavit to take to the poll so that the voter can vote in person at the poll
• If the ballot has been received in the Absentee Voting Office, the ballot cannot be canceled.

No. All voted absentee ballots must be returned to the Absentee Office for tabulation. Any absentee ballot turned in at the polling place will be rejected.

• If Democrat is voted in the general primary, Democrat must be voted in the runoff
• If Republican is voted in the general primary, Republican must be voted in the runoff
• If the voter did not vote in the general primary or voted non-partisan, the voter may choose either party in the runoff